Apple: Made in the USA?

Many Americans love Apple products. I am one of them. My household features two Apple laptops, one desktop, an iPad and two iPhones.

In an interview to be aired on NBC tonight, Apple CEO Tim Cook will announce that a new line of Mac computers will be built entirely in the United States in 2013. You can watch a preview clip here.

This is notable not only because another major American company is insourcing jobs. Cook's statement below cuts to the heart of a major challenge in the advanced manufacturing field:

"It's not so much about price, it's about the skills, et cetera. Over time, there are skills that are associated with manufacturing that have left the U.S. Not necessarily people, but the education system stopped producing them."

The 'ecosystem' around manufacturing needs to be rebuilt. Backfilling the skills gap with greater investment in adult education and vocational skills is an important step in reinvigorating our economy.